An Oakland security company gave campaign contributions to Oakland City Council members and candidates while seeking a $2 million city contract, a situation the city auditor says may violate the municipal code.

The company, ABC Security, then got a key council recommendation for the contract even though city staff had deemed it the sixth best out of 10 bids. The full council will decide on the contract next Tuesday.

Auditor Courtney Ruby and her staff conducted an investigation and sent a letter to the city's Public Ethics Commission, which would determine if the contributions violate city campaign finance law.

"We need to make sure that our contracting process is transparent," said Ruby. "I want a government that has the integrity and the trust of the citizens."

Dan Purnell, executive director of the Public Ethics Commission, did not respond for comment Tuesday.

Ten different security companies submitted bids for the two-year security contract by June 25, 2010. As part of their proposals, each company signed a form in which they agreed not to make campaign contributions during specified periods. One such period begins at the time a bid is submitted and ends 180 days after the end of negotiations for the contract.

Between March 1, 2010, and July 27, 2010, ABC Security and its chief executive, Ana Chretien, made contributions of $1,800 to various council members and others running for office in Oakland. The July 27 donation was $350 to Councilwoman Jane Brunner.

Sam Tadesse, managing partner at Marina Security, also apparently violated campaign finance law with a $500 donation, according to Ruby's letter.

Calls and an e-mail to Chretien were not returned. Attempts to reach Tadesse were unsuccessful.

City staff had done an extensive review of the 10 bidders using a variety of different criteria, including cost.

The most-qualified bidder was Cypress Private Security, which has a San Francisco office. The sixth-best was ABC Security. After making those assessments, the staff recommended Cypress.

Councilwoman Brunner and others on the Finance & Management Committee rejected the staff recommendation on March 8 and instead selected ABC, though the ultimate decision will be made by the full council.

A staff analysis said ABC's bid would charge the city $1 more per hour per guard, not including overtime. The guards would earn $19 an hour.

Brunner said council members can't be expected to keep track of all the contracts being offered and sought, not to mention the myriad potential bidders.

"The city has hundreds of contracts," she said. "I know (about proposed developments at) the army base and MacArthur BART. I didn't know in July about ABC Security. If I had, I would have thought about it better."

Referring to Chretien, the chief executive of ABC, Brunner said, "If it turns out that she was not supposed to be giving money during that time, then I will return it."

Brunner and Ruby both said the responsibility in this campaign finance rules lies with the donor. Brunner said she could not talk about her reasoning for choosing ABC because it could involve litigation.

Nonetheless, Brunner said her decision had nothing to do with money.

"If I sell my vote for $350, shame on me," she said. "Campaign contributions have nothing to do with why I supported ABC."